


Conspicuous

by thingswithwings



Category: Leverage
Genre: F/F, Undercover, Undercover As Gay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-04-26
Updated: 2011-04-26
Packaged: 2017-10-24 00:37:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 798
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/256900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thingswithwings/pseuds/thingswithwings
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>written for the 2011 Female Character Trope Fest.  Prompt: "undercover in a lesbian bar."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Conspicuous

Sophie does her research. She spends time finding exactly the right outfit, exactly the right makeup, exactly the right shoes. She spends a little time sitting quietly on a barstool, shopping for exactly the right kind of mannerisms to suit her purpose. On the night of their big undercover op, she looks and feels the part; no detail has been overlooked, and no expense has been spared.

Which is why she's rather annoyed by Parker, who shows up in her usual t-shirt, her usual jeans, her usual leather jacket, and her usual no-nonsense ponytail, and somehow looks more like she fits in at the lesbian bar than Sophie does. She blends into the background perfectly, like she just grew there naturally from the dusty floorboards, as much a fixture of the place as the low couch along the wall or the rickety-looking wooden tables.

There's something wrong about the whole picture.

While Sophie is getting them drinks, a cute young woman with a nose piercing starts chatting Parker up. Sophie immediately speeds up the drink-buying process; she doesn't want to leave Parker alone for too long, lest she blow their cover.

"Here's your drink, honey," Sophie says, handing a glass over to Parker. She winces at the 'honey'; it doesn't sound quite right to her, not like it would if Parker were her boyfriend.

Parker - _Parker_ , of all people – fixes it, smiles easily and leans forward to kiss Sophie softly on the lips as she takes her drink.

"Thanks, babe," Parker says. Then she tucks a familiar arm around Sophie's waist and uses her drink-holding hand to gesture at the woman with the nose piercing. "This is Carmen, she just moved here from Cincinnati."

"Angelica," Sophie says, holding out her hand. Carmen takes it.

"I was just telling Jenny that I don't really know anyone in town," she says, warmly. "It can be hard going out to bars and stuff when you don't have any friends in the community." Sophie, for once, can't think of anything to say to that; if Parker were a man, Carmen would've backed off by now, knowing that he was taken.

"Yeah, that sucks," Parker agrees. Carmen nods as if Parker has just said something profound. After a moment, Sophie finds her feet, and makes small talk about the different gay bars in town, but she's having trouble getting it to click. It's going to be a long night; their mark isn't likely to show up for another hour, and she and Parker will have to wait at least another hour after that to have their public fight.

When Carmen gets up to go to the bathroom, Parker breaks into the conversation at the next table over with a well-timed joke and her usual snorting laugh; when she gets up to get more drinks, she talks easily with a group of three women at the bar.

Once she gets over her somewhat profound irritation, Sophie is increasingly intrigued. "You look . . . comfortable," she says, when they have a moment to themselves, pressed close together on the couch.

Parker shrugs. "Lesbians aren't like men. You can be yourself."

Sophie isn't sure that's strictly true, but lets it pass. "Is this yourself, Parker?"

Now Parker looks uncomfortable. "I'm always myself. That's why I'm a thief and not a grifter."

For the sake of their cover, Sophie takes Parker's hand in hers and twines their fingers together, then leans over to gently nuzzle her nose to Parker's neck. Parker, surprisingly, doesn't tense up.

"You're a grifter tonight. You've been grifting with me more and more."

For the sake of their cover, Parker turns to face Sophie, calls her bluff with a slow, searing kiss.

"Maybe I'm just trying to grift you into giving it all up and becoming a thief with me." She says it completely seriously, but that's how Sophie knows that it's a joke. She smiles.

"Oh, but I'd miss this," Sophie says, and tilts Parker's chin up with one perfectly manicured finger before moving in for another kiss.

Later – several kisses later – Parker pulls away slowly. She grins an uncomplicated grin and licks her lips. "Me too," she agrees. Then she spots something over Sophie's shoulder, and pokes Sophie in the ribs. "Hey, hey, hey, it's the mark!"

Sophie bats at Parker's poking finger; just like her to ruin their otherwise immaculate cover with pointing and stage-whispering about the mark.

"Hush," Sophie says, laughing despite herself. "What is this, your first con? You'll give us away!"

Parker is apparently undaunted by this critique, and her grin stays in place as she grabs Sophie's hand and pulls them both to their feet.

"C'mon," she says, "let's go get her attention."

Sophie smooths her hair and picks up her drink. "Let's go be conspicuous," she agrees.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [[Podfic] Conspicuous](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11831670) by [sophinisba](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sophinisba/pseuds/sophinisba)




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